Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact more draconian than NAFTA

author: Systemic Disorder

The Trans-Pacific Partnership's extraordinarily one-sided rules, which go beyond NAFTA in several ways, are intended to be a new floor in the ongoing effort to lock in the domination of industrialists and financiers through the multi-national corporations that they control. The negotiations among 11 countries are secret. That we know anything at all about it is due to leaks.

Imagine a world in which which labor safeguards, safety rules and environmental regulations will be struck down because a multi-national corporation's profits might be affected. A world in which measures to reign in financial speculation are illegal. A world in which the task of governments, codified in law, is to maximize corporate profits.

Imagine a world in which corporations can bypass national laws and courts when they are in a dispute with a government, and instead can have their dispute adjudicated by a closed tribunal controlled by their lawyers.

Unfortunately, the above is not dystopian science fiction; it is the reality of the top-secret Trans-Pacific Partnership. If you like NAFTA, you will love the TPP.

Haven't heard of the Trans-Pacific Partnership? There is good reason. It is a proposed trade agreement being secretly negotiated that would not only codify the one-sided rules heavily favoring corporate interests exemplified in the North American Free Trade Agreement, it would go beyond them. And many of the harshest rules proposed to be included in the TPP are being pushed by the Obama administration.

The TPP is poised to become the largest Free Trade Agreement in U.S. history, and the time to either influence or derail it is now.

Senator Wyden has been outspoken about the lack of transparency in the TPP negotiating process, arguing that, "The majority of Congress is being kept in the dark as to the substance of the TPP negotiations, while representatives of U.S. corporations - like Halliburton, Chevron, PHRMA, Comcast and the Motion Picture Association of America - are being consulted and made privy to details of the agreement." But the Senator still needs to hear from constituents about how past Free Trade Agreements have affected jobs, the environment, public health and democracy — and what we expect from him and other elected officials as new trade policy is created.

The Oregon Fair Trade Campaign, labor and environmental representatives, as well as a variety of corporate lobbyists, will be giving short presentations during Monday's event. We need you there to ask questions, make comments and demonstrate your support for a new model for international trade.

BACKGROUND
Oregon's trade ties with Pacific Rim nations and the rules which govern trade and investment are key to our state's economic vitality. The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement is currently being negotiated between the United States and several Pacific Rim countries, including Vietnam, Mexico and Canada. While 10 Pacific Rim countries are currently participating in the negotiations, the TPP could ultimately include all 21 members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. Given its broad scope, the TPP negotiations have the potential to impact almost every facet of Oregon's economy.

Since 1994, trade and investment between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico has generally been governed by the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. TPP provides the opportunity to update these terms to supersede NAFTA. There are important lessons to be learned from Oregon's experience with NAFTA which should inform views on construction of the TPP. Particularly with respect to energy, the TPP could dictate whether the U.S. can more strategically manage its natural resources or adopt rules to protect our environment.

To provide information about TPP and hear about its implications to economy of Oregon and the United States, Senator Wyden will hold a public listening session on August 13, 2012. Issues to be considered include, but are not limited to:
•Existing barriers to Oregon products, electronic goods, and services in TPP countries
•Objectives for TPP in terms of environmental protections and the protection of individual rights
•The opportunity TPP presents to enable the United States to manage its energy supply

The listening session will include invited guests presenting perspectives on different elements of foreign trade including manufacturing, agriculture, labor, environment and energy. Following the presentations, members of the audience will be invited to comment.